Cushioned connection



Nov. Il, 194,7o i A. s. KRoTz I 2,430,573

CUSHIONED CONNECTION Filed Dec. 31, 1945 Patented Nov. 11, 1947 CUSHIQNED CONNECTION Alvin s. Kratz, Akron, ohio, assigner to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 31, 1943, Serial No. 516,461 5 claims. (Chaos- 10) This invention relates to cushioned connections and is especially useful in the construction of selllaying tracks for vehicles.

The principal objects of the invention are 110. provide high resistance to rupture of the cushioning material with adequate cushioning of the connection, to provide a high degree of cushioning in minimum space, to provide cushioning i tension of a track while providing torsional cushioning of hinging movement, t0 Provide for increased life of the structure, and. to facilitate construction, assembly and repair of the track.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing,

Off the drawing:

Fig. l is a partial plan view o1 a self-laying track constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof, .taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section oi a modification yof the cushioned connection.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a modied forni of the invention.

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 6 .is a plan view of a portion .of a self-.laying track embodying the modied form of cushioned connection of Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1 and 2, thereof, the numerals Ill, II, l2 designate successive block links of a self laying track. Each block link has one or more knuckles I 3 on one end thereof and at least a pair of knuckles such as Mat its opposite end, the knuckles being are ranged in intercalated relation with a knuckle i3 of one link extending between a pair of knuckles I4 of the next link. The knuckles I4 have aligned cross bores I5 t0 receive hinge pins I 6 which extend through the pair of knuckles I 4 and through the knuckle I3 therebetween and are secured against movement within the knuckles I4, as by taper pins I'I extending therethrough or other fastening means. The knuckles I3 are formed with cross bores I8 `larger than the pins I6 to provide space for the connecting cushions.

For cushioning the joints between the links both against pull of the track .and torsionally against hinging, cushioning bodies 2t of soit vulcanized rubber or other rubber-like material are provided Within the bores I8 about the hinge pins I6. Each cushioning body surrounds a metal sleeve 2I adapted to engage over the hinge pin, and is surrounded by a tubular metal sleeve 22 adapted to be pressed into the bore I8, and is bonded to both metal ,sleeves as by a bond resulting from vulcanization of the rubber-like material thereto.`

To provide for increased resistance to rupture of the rubber-like material at the side of the body which is subjected to compression by pulling forces acting on the track, while at the same time providing maximum strength of the knuckles Within minimum space, the cushioning body 2i! is made thicker at the side subject to compressive forces when the vehicle is travelling than at the opposite side thereof. This may be accomplished readily by an eccentric relation of the metallic sleeves, as shown in Fig. 2, which provides greater space at the position 2Go than at the opposite position 20o, the Wall of the rubber-like material gradually increasing in thickness from Zlib to 20a in both directions around the body, The arrangement not only provides a greater thickness or rubber at the position most subject to compressive forces tending .to rupture the rubber-like material, but also provides a gradually decreasing space to resist by a'crowding or congesting action the ow of the rubber-like material away from the zone of compression about the inner sleeve, While the bonding of the rubber-like material to the metal of the sleeve Valso .resists such ilow. .At `the same time. the thickness of the track is not increased over that required by a cushion body having concentric sleeves.

Any tendency for the hinge pin to shift position due to such compressive forces will be in a direction tending to move the pin to yarless eccentric position within the body of .rubber-like material.

For retaining the sleeve 2l against rotation relative to the hinge pin i5, the hinge pin may be grooved, as at It@ throughout its length, and the sleeve formed with .an inwardly directed rib to nt the groove. In assembling the track, the sleeve 22 with the body of rubber-like material and the sleeve 2l attached thereto, is pressed tightly .into the bore ofthe knuckle I3. The bingo pin it may then be pressed into position through the sleeve 2l and through knuckles le.

.In the modilied construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the Sleeve 2l and the body 29 .of rubber-like mate.-v rial are similar to the Ycorrespondine parts of Fiss. l and 2. The outersleeve is, however, of circumierentially discontinuous construction. ,As shown it is split or otherwise formed of arcuate spaced-apart semi-sleeve members will; Si bonded .to the outer surface of the body 2li. The sleeve members are spaced apart as at 3,2, .t3 at positions circumferentially between the thickest and thinnest portions of the cushioning body, and the In the modification shown in Figs. 4 to 6 the" track is constructed of successive track blocks Pi,v

4| having hinge pins 42 extending crosswise there-1- through. Pairs of hinge pins are connected tog each other at opposite margins of thetrack bylinks 43 which clamp the hinge pins against rotation. o

For providing a, cushioned connection, the links 4 0, 4l are formed with cross bores 44 of larger,v

diameter than the hinge pins, and annular bodies l5 of resilient rubber or other rubber-like material are arranged about the hinge pin i2 and .bonded thereto as by a bond of vulcanization. The annular resilient bodies are of larger diameter than the bores 44 and are spaced longitudinally of the hinge .pin to provide clearance for vdeformation due to assembly. In assembling the hinge pin and the link, the annular bodies 45 are orced into the bore under sucient compression to prevent their slipping during hinging of the track.

To provide increased resistance to rupture of the rubber-like material at the side of the hinge pin where the rubber is subjected to further compression due to tensioning of the track, the annular bodies 45 are made eccentric with the hinge pin in a direction providing a thicker wall of rubber-like material at the zone of compression than at the opposite side. This provides a thick body 4 block having a hinge pin extending into said passage, a cushioning member located in said passage about said hinge pin, said cushioning member comprising an outer sleeve retained in said passage, an inner sleeve upon said hinge pin, and a body of resilient rubber-like material between said sleeves and bonded thereto, said body having a wall ofincreased thickness at a side of said hinge pin subjected to compression resulting from A,tensioning of the track, said outer sleeve being of circumferentially discontinuous construction to permit assembly of said track with said body of rubber-like material under radial compression.

of rubber-like materialat the side subject to the l greatest compressive force While at the same time, the space between the hinge pin and the bore ofthe link narrows in both directions away from the zone of greatest compression and resist iiow of thematerial under pressure away from that Zone.

The arrangement provides more cushioning material at the zone subject to compression without requiring change in the dimensions of the links.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is deiined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a self-laying track for vehicles having track blocks hinged to each other, one of said blocks having a cross passage and an adjacent block having a, hinge pin extending into said passage, a cushioning member located in said passage upon said hinge pin, said cushioning member comprising an outer sleeve retained in said passage, an inner sleeve upon said hinge pin, and a body of resilient rubber-like material between said sleeves and bonded thereto to resist the hinging movement by stress of said material, said body having a wall of increased thickness at a side of said hinge pin subjected to compression resulting 3. In a self-laying track for vehicles having track' blocks hinged to each other, one of said blocks having a cross passage and an adjacent block having a hinge pin extending into said passage, a cushioning member located in said passage about said hinge pin, said cushioning membercomprising an outer sleeve retained in said passage, an inner sleeve secured upon said hinge pin against relative rotation, and a body of resilient rubber-like material between said sleeves and bonded thereto, said body having a wall of increased thickness at a side of said hinge pin subjected to compression resulting from tensioning of the track, said outer sleeve being of circumerentially spaced apart arcuate sleeve members to permit assembly of said track with said body-of rubber-like material under radial compression, said sleeve members being separated at positions other than in line with said compression.

4. A pivotal spring for connecting structures to transmit load from one to the other and cushioning relative turning movement of the structures, said spring comprising a substantially cylindrical sleeve, a member within the same, a body of rubber-like material enclosing the inner member within said sleeve and bonded to both to rcsist relative turning movement of said sleeve and member by stress of said material, said inner member being disposed in said material eccentrically with relation to said sleeve in the unloaded condition providing a zone of said material of greatest thickness at one side of said inner member and decreasing thickness at the regions adjacent said zone and opposite said zone to resist movement of said material into the adjacent and opposite regions by crowding action when load is applied compressively through' said zone in the radial direction.

5. A spring as defined in claim 4 in which said sleeve is divided at a position circumferentially spaced from said Zone of greatest thickness oi said material.

ALVIN S. KROTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Great Braam sept. 2s, 1933 

